Armchair Interviews.Com

Reviewed by Stephanie Boyd

Fifteen-year-old Talia is being apprenticed to the Dragon Knight’s Guild and leaving everything she has ever known far behind. Then to make it worse, her ride to the guild school is on Clarence, a cross-eyed dragon that can’t fly straight and crash lands. But his rider Kel is a nice guy who seems determined to be a success with Clarence, despite Clarence’s disability. Talia finds the school so alien from anything she has ever been exposed to, but she is determined to do her best and make her family proud. Too bad Kel and Clarence are obviously outsiders because Talia can use all the friends she can get. Will Talia survive her first year in the guild school?

I loved Cross-Eyed Dragon Troubles. The characters are a mixture of typical teenagers and unusual administrators and teachers in the outlandish setting of the Dragon Knight’s Guild school. Author Oliver has a very creative imagination, and I was both charmed and tickled by the things happening in the story. She even makes the school lessons unusual and fun. I’d have loved to have had some of these lessons when I was in school, and a few of them I could have done without.

From the moment Talia meets Clarence and Kel I had to laugh at their spectacular crash landing as they arrived to escort her to the guild school. I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to get on Clarence after that demonstration but Talia shows remarkable determination. Then she is basically abandoned at the school–I’d have been crying to go home, but Talia deals with it. And this is just Talia’s first day. Life for Talia does improve quickly because she is such a resilient character, but the more you learn about Clarence and Kel’s situation, the more you will feel sorry for them.

I enjoyed the imaginative world Gloria Oliver invented for this story and really hope this is just the beginning. I would love to read more about Talia and her friends or even different students at the guild school. I hope there will be a sequel and soon!

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Eternal Night(Not yet posted)

Amanda Killgore

****1/2

Though leaving home to become an apprentice to the Dragon Knight guild is the last thing Talia wants, she accepts her fate to help her family ease its financial woes. Even her leave taking is less than auspicious; a cross eyed dragon and a squire, not a knight, pick her up and take her there, giving her one of the more harrowing experiences of her short life. However, Clarence and his human, Kel, are not bad sorts, and will, in fact become two of the most important beings in Talia's life in the days to come.

Life at school is a tremendous change. Talia finds herself in what she considers luxury, and though the work is hard, she quickly makes new friends, earns ample funds, and through bizarre tests, learns new skills. It is not all good, though. A secret "admirer" brings not only her, but Clarence and Kel trouble that could prove dangerous for the trio, and an attack from monstrous beings almost forces Talia to have to do the unthinkable.

With ample maturity to appeal to official adults and enough innocence to make it teen friendly, this is a story that is sheer magic, and not just because of the subject matter. Ms. Oliver has built a world that springs to life in your mind and before it is over, your heart. Hints of budding romance add a sweetness to things, but that is merely a "flavor enhancer," for the mind. Quirky, multi-faceted characters and a heart warming aura combined with plot elements that make you want to learn more make this a treasure. If you enjoyed Mercedes Lackey's Herald Mages, the Harperhall trilogy of Pern, the Casts' Marked series, or yes, Harry Potter, you simply need this in your collection. I hated for the story to end, and hope Talia, Kel, and Clarence have more ahead of them.